New Zealand vs Australia - Bledisloe 2, 24th August 2013

[No4918]

Take 2, time to move on from lsat week. Despite the loss it is not all bleak and I am still excited to see what they can offer. Tighten up the defence, lose a few mistakes and be more accurate in the rucks and anything can happen. Five players have had there first taste of test rugby and will be better this week for it.

Mckenzie has said there will not be big changes.
- I expect Mogg will be dropped from the 23 for Cummins
- JOC (James O'Connor) or Folau will move to 15
- MMM will retain 6 or be replaced by Gill. He is a reasonable 4th lineout option and was more effective in the breakdown.

Heart says we are a chance.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Gain line.
Every carry in every position must get to the gain line.

 

[Langthorne]

Making the gain line and tieing up defenders is an area that we struggled with a little - or was it because we were too keen to shovel the ball from side to side without much guile?

The addition of Cummins (Mogg out, Folau to 15) would help, but I'd like to see someone in 4-8 jersey doing the same. It seems we don't have a 6 or 8 who fits the role (given the number of injuries), so maybe we need to look at finding a second rower who can do it, and charge into rucks knocking guys BACK. The only problem with that option is that either Horwill (the captain) or Simmons (a young guy who did pretty well, despite not being a big shifter of bodies) would be dropped to do it. Simmons doesn't deserve to be dropped on account of his performance, but maybe he should be sacrificed to the bench.

MMM didn't do a lot to justify reselection. Mowen is better at 6 than 8, but there aren't a load of options.

On the scrums, is it the case that the ball must be fed when the ref says, or is it from when the ref says? The problem with feeding on command is that the defensive side then knows exactly when to shove (whilst the attacking hooker is hooking, and therefore not really shoving back ie the defense has an advantage)

 

[Braveheart81]

I agree that there should only be a few changes for the second test.

There is no point throwing the baby (or the debutatnts) out with the bathwater.

MMM needs to drop to the bench or outside the 23. He was anonymous. Fardy should get a crack. The non-7 backrow positions and in particular 6 are a problem for the Wallabies. Mowen was nowhere near as good at 8 as he was at 6 against the Lions and MMM struggled. We have a long list of people who have played 6 for the Wallabies in the last year or so that haven't really been able to show their Super Rugby dominance in the test arena. As much as Palu is maligned by supporters, we miss him. He is by far the most consistent 8 we have and the various options at 6 never go as well at 8 as they do at 6.

Mogg should be dropped and I'd put Folau at fullback, JOC (James O'Connor) back to 14 and Cummins onto the wing.

Those would be the only two changes I'd definitely make.

To'omua has to stay. He was alright without being great but it was his first test. If you're not going to persist with someone like that then you shouldn't have picked him in the first place.

On the upside, Simmons played really well and was better than Horwill. Horwill needs to find his top form again. He needs to be one of our best forwards and he isn't at the moment. He needs to improve his communication with the referee as well.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Maybe people thought all we needed to do was replace the nasty Imported Coach who spoke in riddles and gobbledegook, with a plain speaking one of our own and things would suddenly be all right with the Wobs.

This week we need to work on our basics, although there may not be enough time to achieve the necessary turnaround:
a. keep hold of the Gilbert and build pressure.
b. be accurate at the breakdown and move Black bodies out of the way.
c. get sufficient numbers to the breakdown to achieve (b.) above.
d. Catch the Pill then pass it to players after you have committed the defender.
e. Tackle anything in Black that has temporary ownership of Gilbert.
f. Run forwards not sideways, this is not the under 8's.
g. No internet, smartphones, twitter, SMS, facebook or any other 21st century crap.
h. Training base to be Puckapunyal Army Base. Fly to NZ on a RAAF C130.
i. KISS, HTFU and play the sort of footy we know you are capable of.
j. Get rid of the Brand, Mogg, and MMM.

 

[It is what it is]

Folau needs to stay on the wing.
At fullback the AB's will have him exhausted with their kicking game, and he'll have zero energy for attack.
He's a huge physical specimen and the prototype for a fullback today is a smaller, lighter and more nimble mover like Halfpenny or Dagg......O'Connor?
Folau's kicking game isn't up to playing fullback either.
JOC (James O'Connor) is more value to the Wallabies playing 15 than he is playing out of position at 11. The catch 22 is both Folau and JOC (James O'Connor) are best suited to playing 14.

 

[Muttonbird]

g. No internet, smartphones, twitter, SMS, facebook or any other 21st century crap.

I think this is crucial. A shame that the senior/responsible players have to suffer because of a couple of rogues but it will unify the team. I like the Hercules idea too.

 

[I like to watch]

Maybe people thought all we needed to do was replace the nasty Imported Coach who spoke in riddles and gobbledegook, with a plain speaking one of our own and things would suddenly be all right with the Wobs.

This week we need to work on our basics, although there may not be enough time to achieve the necessary turnaround.

I just read an article by Georgia Robinson from yesterday's Sun Herald,where Link was in total denial.
He was really happy with the attack,defence was only an issue cos they ran out of time.
If he actually believes 50% of what was written,we are doomed for the foreseeable future.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

^^ Lucky they ran out of time, because the AIG's were well on their way to their maiden Test Century.

Further embarrassment was saved when Jubert blew the Acme Thunderer for full time.

 

[FrankLind]

The All Blacks had lost Daniel Carter, now Beauden Barret is out with a calf strain and Cruden has a hurt knee (but is still a possibility to start).
Tom Taylor and Colin Slade have both been called in. Number 4 and 5 first-fives.

 

[No4918]

The All Blacks had lost Daniel Carter, now Beauden Barret is out with a calf strain and Cruden has a hurt knee (but is still a possibility to start).
Tom Taylor and Colin Slade have both been called in. Number 4 and 5 first-fives.

Ouch. Just don't let Slade kick and he might go ok. Wasn't Taylor behind Blyendaal (sp?) at the start of the year?

 

[vidiot]

Cruden was limping like a gimp when he went off, 10 to go. Unfortunately even as a gimp he was steering the ABs around the park with aplomb.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

This is RWC11 all over again for the Darkness.

Who is off whitebating ATM?

Forget the "Bring Back Buck" campaign, "Bring Back Duck".

 

[FrankLind]

Ouch. Just don't let Slade kick and he might go ok. Wasn't Taylor behind Blyendaal (sp?) at the start of the year?

Taylor is quality, Slade isn't.

 

[Richo]

This is RWC11 all over again for the Darkness.

Who is off whitebating ATM?

Forget the "Bring Back Buck" campaign, "Bring Back Duck".

As I recall, the RWC 2011 worked out okay for the Kiwis.

 

[Hawko]

Folau needs to stay on the wing.
At fullback the AB's will have him exhausted with their kicking game, and he'll have zero energy for attack.
He's a huge physical specimen and the prototype for a fullback today is a smaller, lighter and more nimble mover like Halfpenny or Dagg..O'Connor?
Folau's kicking game isn't up to playing fullback either.
JOC (James O'Connor) is more value to the Wallabies playing 15 than he is playing out of position at 11. The catch 22 is both Folau and JOC (James O'Connor) are best suited to playing 14.

Strange, but never once did any Super rugby team try to exhaust Folau by running him around. Or maybe they did try but it didn't work. Of all the reasons offered to make Australia's best fullback play wing, this is one of the strangest.

 

[Braveheart81]

I would think that the most obvious way to get replace Mogg and re-jig the back three is to move Folau back to fullback where has played almost all his Super Rugby, JOC (James O'Connor) to his preferred 14 position and Cummins to 11.

I would prefer to see that than JOC (James O'Connor) playing at fullback.

 

[Hawko]

I would think that the most obvious way to get replace Mogg and re-jig the back three is to move Folau back to fullback where has played almost all his Super Rugby, JOC (James O'Connor) to his preferred 14 position and Cummins to 11.

I would prefer to see that than JOC (James O'Connor) playing at fullback.

My only issue with that is that JOC (James O'Connor) would be marking Savea and NZ would immediately switch their point of attack to that wing to take advantage of the mismatch. Better to let him have another crack at Smith.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

As I recall, the RWC 2011 worked out okay for the Kiwis.

Yup, that is also rather troubling regardless of whether they manage to "Bring Back Duck" or not.

How would we go playing our 3rd or 4th choice #10 in the TRC?

That's right, we did that against the Lions and got pasted.

The AIG's do that in the RWC and they win the bloody thing.

Go figure. According to IRB we have the same number of registered Senior Male players.

 

[Slim 293]

I agree that there should only be a few changes for the second test.

There is no point throwing the baby (or the debutatnts) out with the bathwater.

MMM needs to drop to the bench or outside the 23. He was anonymous. Fardy should get a crack. The non-7 backrow positions and in particular 6 are a problem for the Wallabies. Mowen was nowhere near as good at 8 as he was at 6 against the Lions and MMM struggled. We have a long list of people who have played 6 for the Wallabies in the last year or so that haven't really been able to show their Super Rugby dominance in the test arena. As much as Palu is maligned by supporters, we miss him. He is by far the most consistent 8 we have and the various options at 6 never go as well at 8 as they do at 6.

Mogg should be dropped and I'd put Folau at fullback, JOC (James O'Connor) back to 14 and Cummins onto the wing.

Those would be the only two changes I'd definitely make.

To'omua has to stay. He was alright without being great but it was his first test. If you're not going to persist with someone like that then you shouldn't have picked him in the first place.

On the upside, Simmons played really well and was better than Horwill. Horwill needs to find his top form again. He needs to be one of our best forwards and he isn't at the moment. He needs to improve his communication with the referee as well.

Pretty much agree with all of this.......

To'omua deserves another chance........ his play on the weekend was uncharacteristic to how he's played all year........

If he doesn't step up at least we have Cooper on the bench..........

Otherwise the only changes required would be in the backrow (MMM) and our back 3 (MOgg).........

There needs to be more focus on how we're playing rather than who we're playing because I can't see us picking a better 23/4 players currently.........